Absolutely Aces (31)

Previous:
Next:
Tags

Starting 5 days off straight. Could use double that! But I'll take what I can get.

Dealing…

Schlock gets Roll 8, Swoop 11, Climb 7, Ace, bids Scissors 3.

Kaff gets Climb 6, b4, Swoop 9, Roll 10, bids Scissors 2.

  1. Schlock opens with Roll 8 to take Round 1.

Score: Schlock 9, Kaff 0.

If I have an Ace, Roll, and Scissors, watch for the opposing player to bid with Scissors. If they do, open with the Roll to take the round.

Round 2

Schlock gets Break 5, Swoop 9, Climb 6, Joker, bids Roll 8.

Kaff gets Scissors 3, Swoop 11, Scissors 2, Break 4, bids Roll 10.

Predict: Kaff wins round playing Roll 8.

  1. Kaff opens with Swoop 11.

  2. Schlock blocks with Break 5.

  3. Kaff blocks with Roll 8 for Round 2.

Score: Schlock 9, Kaff 9.

Round 3

Schlock gets Roll 8, Climb 6, Joker, Break 4, bids Swoop 11.

Kaff gets Swoop 9, Ace, Break 5, Roll 10, bids Scissors 3.

No prediction.

  1. Schlock opens with Joker.

  2. Kaff blocks with Swoop 9, almost has to.

  3. Schlock blocks with Break 4.

  4. Kaff blocks with Break 4.

  5. Schlock blocks with Roll 8.

  6. Kaff blocks with Ace.

  7. Schlock blocks with Scissors 3 to take Round 3.

Score: Schlock 12, Kaff 9.

Round 4

Schlock gets Swoop 11, Climb 7, Scissors 2, Swoop 9, bids Ace.

Kaff gets Break 4, Joker, Roll 10, Scissors 3, bids Roll 8.

Prediction: round goes to Kaff with a Scissors scoring. This is based on pure guessing, but the Joker is in play, so it seems reasonable.

  1. Kaff opens with Joker.

  2. Schlock blocks with Swoop 11.

  3. Kaff blocks with Break 4 and takes Round 4.

Prediction: wrong.

Score: Schlock 12, Kaff 14.

Round 5

Schlock gets Climb 6, Roll 10, Climb 7, Scissors 2, bids Roll 8.

Kaff gets Scissors 3, Swoop 11, Break 4, Joker, bids Ace.

  1. Schlock opens with Climb 7 for the win.

Basically, bidding an Ace is probably a bad idea.

Score: Schlock 19, Kaff 14.

Previous:
Next:
Tags

What to play next?

Deciding what to play next is always a tough call when faced with a closet full of games, all of which were purchased with intent to play. Here's one I'm dealing with the decision.

  • Something New: this means both something new to me and a game which has been published recently, within the last two or three years.
  • Something Classic: I've acquired a number of games properly considered "classic" which haven't yet been played. The current example would be PanzerGruppe Guderian.
  • Something Again: mastery requires constant practice, which means playing games many, many times to allow nuance to appear.
  • Something Vietnam: as I'm on a Vietnam binge. I don't have all the Vietnam games ever published, but I can say that I have a lot of them, and probably more than most people.
  • Something Obscure: as it's fun to poke around in the dustier corners of game design.
  • Something Different: break away from the same old publishers and try a game from one of the new kids on the block. Or, conversely, dip into legacy with a classic tried and true.
  • Something Light: once in a while it's nice to actually finish a game all the way through in one sitting, in an hour or two.
  • Something Heavy: if possible, it's nice to set up something big and complicated which can be left out for days or weeks or even months, for a leisurely stroll through a very large or long game.

There are surely many more ways to choose, but the above method keeps me busy enough, helps me get both breadth and depth into my play, and provides me with a sense of progress.

The odd man out

When there is an odd man out:

  • Have a solo game ready to play.
  • Keep score or advise on a game in progress.
  • Referee a game in progress.